Art and Identity: (MOMA trip) The Museum of Modern Art

Our class went on a field trip to the (MOMA), The Museum of Modern Art here in New York City, it was very nice. While there, I realized that something inside of me that was being rekindled to things of beauty that was once forgotten because my life had become so "busy" I had forgot about art. 

One of the first things that I saw at the museum was an item that i am very familiar with and remember using it as a kid. It was Jeff Koons "Vacuum Cleaners" the concept in my mind made me want to laugh that "this double decked" set of vacuum cleaners could be art. How could this be I use to use this item to clean out our garage and the car. But as I stood there for awhile and imagined what he want to portray in the message about this piece of art.

As I researched more about this piece that Jeff Koons did, he refers to the vacuum pieces of art as "Ready made" and Jeff Koons said, he thought his works of art were "arty and simple pieces of work" like Marcel Duchamp described in 1915 this items are object to be everyday objects to be mass produced and to be considered as art.                                                        
Overall, I believe that the message the artist is trying to display is that this piece of artwork embodies a part of time, a part of our past, and to remember that is important.

As I continued the self tour with my classmates we discussed some pieces of art. Other pieces we chuckled at without understanding and some left me puzzled. For example, this piece of artwork by Gilbert and George. It is called "Live's". I personally found this to be disturbing. The reasons why I found it to be so disturbing is because of the way they use the people and in the painting there heads are seemingly chopped off. Also some of there backs are facing away as if to give off the message that they are not important and that perhaps society is using the majority of laborers and the men in suits don't care about the whole. I know that this is just a way of expression art. As I researched about Gilbert and George, I found out they were among the first artist that created this alternative view to the "traditional painting and sculptures" and they portrayed themselves into the works of art and therefore it changed the art and became a "living sculpture" and by doing so they did poke fun at "proper behavior in society and they refers to it as a sense of "drunkenness, sexuality, and other functions. I still find it awaking to what is the harsh reality is that even as a laborers we have no control over the outcome. the times haven't changed much since the late 1980 to now. the similarities are things cost money and we as laborers will work hard for that money via a job and the big companies do take advantage of the workers based on there needs and wants to survive.

This last work of art that I would like to talk about is Pablo Picasso he was a Spanish artist. This painting was from the 1930's it was at the MOMA on loan from the Guggenheim Museum. it is called "Seated Bather". Most people would agree that Picasso and his art was some what distorted art. He would take images of people and disfigure them. However to me these "works of art" are priceless paintings and wake up a sense in me that make me want to reach out and touch the painting. Of course while standing in front of the painting I was warn "not to", still I wanted to touch it and feel the lines. However his paintings make me have that child like sense of "getty and joy." I feel so overcome by how he illustrates the lines and movements in his work of art. I truly appreciate the way he can make a painting almost seem like 3-D. In this painting you can clearly see a women in the bathtub, the water to her neckline and the display of her body, breast, face, and long hair. In this time in history women's bodies would be painted as a sign of endearment and I believe that the body "was considered a sense of beauty and used in canvases to show that women can be beautiful in all shapes and sizes."

In conclusion, I find that these three works of art from the early nineteen hundreds to even now, capture the true meaning of embodiment. All three artist have captured different styles and different artistic movements. Take for example the painting by Gilbert and George, this piece of art work would be consider as an "individual identity" they used there own image into the painting to change the way we see the art itself and to reflex how the society portrays humans as a whole. I truly believe that the Picasso embodies the "cultural identity" because of how we view the body. Americans tend to "cover the body" and in some cultures they see the body not as a perversion but an image from god so some cultures don't cover the private parts or wear clothing. Lastly Jeff Koons embodies the "historical identity" because with his "Ready Made art" it gives it that historical view and how even 20 years ago we even use different kinds of machinery and that how technology is pushing us forward in a very fast pace. Hope you enjoy my "Art and Identity" description. I know that by experiencing new things in Art, it will help me to understand the world a little better. Comment and Enjoy..... Your classmate, Veronica

Information on the Artwork:
Artist: Jeff Koons
Name:"New Shelton Wet Dry Doubledecker"
Medium: Vacuum cleaners, plexiglass, and fluorescent lights
Year: 1981

Artist: Gilbert and GeorgeName: "Live's"
Medium: Black and white photographs, hand-colored with ink and dyes, and aluminum foil, mounted and framed.
Year: 1984

Artist: Pablo Picasso 
Name: " Seated Bather"
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Year: early 1930